Field
Exemplary embodiments relate to a touch panel including a touch sensor, and a display device including the touch panel.
Discussion of the Background
A flat panel display (FPD), such as an organic light emitting diode display (OLED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), an electrophoretic display (EPD), or the like, includes a display panel on which an electric field generation electrode and an electro-optical active layer are disposed. As the electro-optical active layer, panels of the organic light emitting diode display, the liquid crystal display, and the electrophoretic display each include an organic light emitting layer, a liquid crystal layer, and charged particles, respectively. The electric field generation electrode may be connected to a switching element, such as a thin film transistor, or the like, so as to be applied with a data signal, and the electro-optical active layer displays an image by converting the data signal into an optical signal.
The above-mentioned display device may include a touch interface providing a touch sensing function and enabling an interaction with a user, in addition to an operation of displaying the image by a display panel. The touch sensing operation includes detecting touch information such as detecting whether an object touches a screen and detecting the touch location of the object by sensing a change in pressure applied to the screen by the display device, resistance, charge, light, or the like, in a case in which a user touches the screen with a finger or a touch pen. The display device may receive an image signal based on the touch information.
The touch sensing operation or touch sensing function may be implemented by a capacitive-type touch sensor including touch electrodes. In the capacitive-type touch sensor, the touch electrodes form a capacitor, and a touch controller connected to the touch electrodes through touch signal lines senses a change in capacitance of the capacitor caused by the touch. Touch information may be generated based on the above-mentioned change in capacitance or other types of touch sensing configurations.
A technology in which a nanowire is used as the touch electrode has been recently developed for a flexible display. The nanowire may also be used in the touch signal line, but since it is understood that resistance may be increased or the touch signal line may be disconnected due to a limit in the line width, the touch signal line may have a structure in which a low resistance metal is stacked on the nanowire.
Further, a panel in which the touch sensor is disposed may be referred to as a touch panel (also referred to as a touch sensor panel, a touch screen panel, etc.). A display panel having a touch sensor function is also referred to as the touch panel.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the inventive concept, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known to a person of ordinary skill in the art.